Video of UFC 97 Silva vs. Leites

[Flaves]

I was able to find the video on some Russian website and post it on my blog. Enjoy.

Anderson Silva vs Thales Leites Video- UFC 97 | Dan's Muay Thai MMA

[Mr. Miyagi]

What did you think of the fight?

I read articles and posts all over the internet about how boring and embarassing it was. I didn't think so at all!
I thought Anderson Silva dealt with everything very well. Leites knew he was in danger whenever he was standing so at the slightest sign of attack he would buttflop. Under UFC rules the buttflop is a way of escaping to safety. But I don't know why anyone is complaining about the way Anderson fought.

[Flaves]

People always want to see brawls and Mike Tyson type fights. Not all fights are set up for that. This was a chess match and Siva won. A striker vs. a grappler. In that regard it was a good match.

[Penance]

I felt like Leites was totally outclassed and by the 3rd round I think Silva could have finished it any time he wanted to.

Putting myself in Silva's shoes, I probably would have done the same thing. I just wouldn't feel right obliterating someone if there was no aggression or competition happening. I'd much rather let it go the distance and win on points than have that sort of thing weighing on my conscience.

Even if all it took was a 1 punch KO to please the crowd, I just couldn't do it if my opponent was actively avoiding engaging me and being as timid as Leites was.

I was disappointed with the fight, but Silva is a classy guy in my opinion.

[Flaves]

Yeah, i agree with that.

[Sagacious Lu]

Originally Posted by Flaves

People always want to see brawls and Mike Tyson type fights. Not all fights are set up for that. This was a chess match and Siva won. A striker vs. a grappler. In that regard it was a good match.

I don't know about that I thought they were both did quite a bit of stalling- which is not only boring, it isn't good fighting. Of the two I'm inclined to look at Leites performance a lot less kindly. The butt flopping was flat out embarrassing, and other than that all he had were a couple shots and a few half-assed strikes. For a guy that's spent all that time working for a title shot he didn't look like he was trying to take the belt. I wish Silva had been more active and tried harder to end the fight but Leites looked like he didn't even want to be in the octagon. After all, Silva has the belt so IMHO it's incumbent on the challenger to TAKE it from him.

[Flaves]

The fight could have been more exciting but it was a good display off fighting technique my Anderson. That's what happens when you get a pure grappler against a pure striker. one guy wants to keep it standing and one guy wants to keep it on the ground. it's a chess match.

[Sagacious Lu]

Originally Posted by Flaves

The fight could have been more exciting but it was a good display off fighting technique my Anderson. That's what happens when you get a pure grappler against a pure striker. one guy wants to keep it standing and one guy wants to keep it on the ground. it's a chess match.

I can't agree with you there; Silva has an excellent ground game and a BB in BJJ. He chose not to fight on the ground in this fight, but he's far from a "pure" striker. However, whatever game plan he wanted to employ Silva certainly could have been more aggressive. Whole minutes of the fight went by without any activity for either fighter. This fight made me think that the UFC needs stricter rules to prevent stalling.